UX LEAD / UX STRATEGY

Scaling a Design Team from 2 to 20+:
Challenges, Leadership, and Solutions

 

Mission

Scaled a UX team and implemented user-centered processes for the client

Client: A US-based leading manufacturer of agricultural equipment and solutions

Key Focus Areas

Recruitment and mentoring
UX Processes
UX Strategy

Duration

October 2021
July 2023

 

Initial Situation and Growth

When I joined the client team, the UX team counted only two designers, including myself.

The company wanted to boost its UX capabilities and move toward putting users at the center of product development.

Within 20 months, we grew to over twenty designers working across eight different time zones.

This rapid expansion demanded onboarding strategies, clear processes, and leadership to maintain team unity.

 

Users: B2B and B2C

Our user base operated on two distinct levels.

B2B: the equipement Dealers
Need: configurators and digital tools to sell tractors, engines, and other equipment to farmers

B2C: Farmers
Need: ecommerce platform where farmers directly purchased replacement parts.

This dual-user perspective influenced how we structured and expanded the UX teams.

 

⛰️Challenges

Risk of Silos

As the team expanded, maintaining communication and collaboration across various project teams became increasingly difficult, potentially causing duplicate work and misalignment.

Stakeholder Management

Working with three competing brands under one parent company created tensions, as each brand had different expectations for UX work.

I needed to actively advocate for UX best practices, educate client teams on UX principles, and run collaborative workshops that helped them understand the practical value of UX.

 

🗺️Actions Taken

Team Growth Strategy
through Company blueprint

To build a structured approach to team expansion, I created a company blueprint that mapped each department to understand the current digital products (12 in total, spanning B2B, B2B2B, B2C).

The blueprint drew from direct user research and stakeholder interviews across departments and included feedback from actual product users.

This mapping revealed friction points and interaction patterns between teams.

This detailed map highlighted workflow bottlenecks.
It helped strategically position UX team members.

Building and Onboarding the Team

I developed a comprehensive onboarding process that covered both technical setup and one-on-one briefings.
This approach helped new designers quickly align with the company's design vision and workflows.

Breaking Down Silos
through knowledge sharing

To prevent isolation, I introduced

  • weekly UX meetings

  • monthly case study presentations.

Team members could see what others were working and connect to learn from each other.

These initiatives promoted collaboration and unified our efforts across different projects.

Initiatives in Design Systems

Goals:

  • Clean scalability of digital platforms

  • Design consistency across products

  • Up-to-date team skills


Actions:

Started common asset libraries

  • Client UX advocacy

  • Arranged UI design and Design System training for team members

  • Participated in core design system components: typography, color palette, spacing rules

  • Created documentation standards for new UI elements

  • Established review process for component additions

Stakeholder Workshops

I facilitated workshops with representatives from three competing brands who were initially skeptical. When technical issues blocked access to our planned Miro activities, I quickly adapted to voice-based exercises.

My effective ice breakers created laughter and relaxed the atmosphere, while ensuring everyone had equal speaking time strengthened mutual respect.

 

🙌 Results

Successful Team Expansion

The UX team grew from 2 to over 20 designers within 20 months, significantly enhancing our ability to manage and deliver complex digital projects.

Improved Onboarding

The streamlined onboarding process facilitated quicker integration of new hires, leading to better team cohesion and productivity from the first week

Established UX Processes

We created clear workflows and standards that guided the team's work, ensuring quality and consistency.

Positive Client Feedback

The client consistently praised the high-quality, innovative designs delivered by the expanded and well-aligned UX team, reflecting the success of our strategic approach.

 

The impact of these initiatives was significant.

The shared UI library reduced design inconsistencies and sped up the design process by over thirty percent.

New designers became productive within their first two weeks, compared to a month previously. Regular meetings helped the team stay connected despite geographical distances and time zone difference, creating a strong collaborative culture that delivered higher-quality work more efficiently.

 
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